The solidarity campaign for imprisoned activist Alaa Abd El Fattah called for urgent action following the admission of Alaa’s mother Laila to hospital on the 242nd day of her hunger strike. Laila Soueif has survived on a bare minimum of fluids and liquid supplements since September and resumed a full hunger strike on 20 May.…
By Miriam Scharf (Newham NEU) At our annual NEU conference 2000 delegates representing 500,000 education workers in England and Wales make conference policy and discuss many international issues. This year MENA Solidarity held a fringe meeting, ‘Women at the Frontline of the Struggle’ with speakers from Iran, Syria and Sudan. We heard on zoom from…
Sudan’s revolution is a story of grassroots organising, sacrifice, and unwavering resistance to oppression.From the fight against British colonial rule to the revolutions that toppled military dictatorships, Sudanese workers, women, students, and grassroots movements have led every major battle for freedom. This pamphlet highlights the mass mobilisations that shook the streets, the role of neighbourhood-basedResistance…
Newly-formed independent workers’ committees in Syria organised demonstrations and vigils across the country in protest at caretaker government’s decision to sack thousands of public sector employees, and in response to the spiralling cost of living which is pushing millions of Syrians deeper into poverty. Rallies took place on 15 February in Damascus, Aleppo, Suwayda, Latakia…
Egyptian Trade unionist Shady Mohamed is on hunger strike, his wife has told other activists, protesting against terrible conditions in Burg al-Arab prison where he has been held since last year on charges related to displaying a Palestine solidarity banner. Shady was among 6 people arrested for this simple act of protest and solidarity and…
Laila Soueif, mother of British citizen Alaa Abdel Fattah, a writer, software developer and prominent pro-democracy activist jailed by Egypt’s authoritarian regime for most of the last ten years, will be organising regular protests outside Downing Street from 13 January. Alaa’s case has hit the news in recent months as his family have stepped up…
By Abdulsalam Dallal On 8 December 2024 in the early morning, people in the streets and a mosque in Damascus announced: “saqat bashar al-kalb” (Bashar, the dog has fallen). Since March 2011 Syrians have spilled blood and tears on the path towards hurriyyeh and karameh (freedom and dignity). Thirteen years later, their sacrifices have paid…
Azadeh Neman is a teacher, NEU member and Iranian activist. She spoke to Middle East Solidarity on the second anniversary of the murder of Mahsa Jina Amini by the Iranian state and the eruption of mass protests under the slogan ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’. MES: Two years after the murder of Mahsa Jina Amini can we…
Statement Issued by the Contractual Teachers’ League in Lebanese Primary Public Schools (CTLP) Beirut, October 2, 2024 Subject: Appeal to Stop the War, Protect the People, and Ensure the Right of Students to Education and Teachers to Receive Their Dues to Help Them Live Amidst War and Displacement The association calls on the international community…
Activists in Egypt have issued an urgent appeal in solidarity with Hisham al-Banna, a worker from the Samanoud textile factory who is facing dismissal from work following a month-long strike demanding the minimum wage. The workers in the factory have been fighting to win better pay after years of battles with the company bosses over…
MENA Solidarity Network 